Tea-making spoon



G. LUBRANO TEA MAKING sPooN Filed Oct. 19, 1925' Nov. l5, 1927.

82213222320 a noooooooooooea .Apr .l

@003900900000000 oeoooooooooooo osoooooooooo F mln:

Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

UNITED STATES GIUSEPPE LUBRANO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TEA-MAKING SPOON.

Application filed October 19, 1926. Serial No. 142,623.

My invention relates to an improvement in a. tea making spoon and t-he novelty re- .sides in the adaptation and arrangement of parts as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

There are several tea. or beverage making spoons someo't' which have been patented but none ot which have been a suc-cess on the market Yfor the reason that they are not n easily operated and easily separated for the purposes ot cleaning and none oil them are sanitary as they require the operator to handle the container portion in order to operate the same.

My device has solved all ot these diiculties and furnishes a spoon which can be easily and readily operated at the handle end so that the operator does not need to touch the container end' and the spoon can 20 be quickly and easily separated so as to be thoroughly cleansed and washed with the minimum of trouble.

Reterring'to the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view ot my device showing a por- 25 tion in dotted outline. 'Figure 2 is a side view of the same. Figure 8 is the same as Figure 2 but with the pivoted halt of the bowl shown in the opened out position. Figure L1 is a top plan View of the plunger mem.- ber. Figure 5 is a top plan view of the spring. Figure 6 is a side view of the pivoted halt of the bowl as separated. Figure 7 is a vert-ical section along the central line oi the` handle and halt bowl attached thereto.

In the drawings 8 is a handle member having an enlarged portion 9 at its upper end, a pair of shoulder members 10 at its lower end and terminating in a foraniinous halt bowl 11. Said shoulder members 10 have slots 12 therein and the handle portion 8 has an opening 13 midway between the two shoulder members 10 and said toraminous half bowl 11 has openings 14 therein. A

plunger member 15 having a handle portion 16 at its outer end is adapted to be mounted in said handle 8 through a spring 17 which is mounted in the enlarged portion 9 of said handle S and the inner end of said plunger 15 has an opening 18 substantially in alignment with the opening 13 in the handle 8. A second fora-minous half bowl member 19 having at its inner end va. pivot bar 20 and midway of said bar 2O a vertically projecting pin 21 downturned at its upper end is adapted to be mounted contiguo-us t0 said half bowl 11 passing the pin 21 through openings 13 and 18 and registering the pivot bar 2() in the slots 12, it being necessary to press the handle 16 of the plunger member 15 against the pressure. ot the spring 17 in order to align the opening 18 with the opening 13 to do this.

The spoon being first cleaned is assembled as shown in, Figures 1, 2 and 3 and can then be used by the operator holding the upper end of the handle 8 at the enlarged portion 9 so that the thumb can be pressed against thel project-ing handle 16 of the plunger 15 whereby the plunger 15, being pressed downwardly against the spring 17 will push against the pin 21 passing therethrough, thereby tilting the same and the liali bowl 19 pivo-ted on the pivot bar 20 in the slots 12 of the shoulders 10 will tilt io the position shown in Figure 8 thereby opening so as to permit the operator to plunge said open bowl members 11 and 19 into the container holding tea, coffee or other beverage, and the operator releasing the thumb pressure on 16, thereby permitting the bowl member 19 to close upon the bowl member 11 so that said toraminous bowl members 11 and 19 will contain the desired quantity of tea` or coltee or other beverage. The operator still holding the handle enlarged portion 9 as described will then place the t'oraminous half bowl members 11 and 19 in the closed position as shown in Figure 2 in a cup, pouring boiling water thereon or stirring the spoon in a cup of boiling water or other suitable container whereby the tea, coffee or other desired bevcirage can be made iny the usual -mannen Having exhausted the tea, coffee or other beverage contained in said toraminous bowl members 19 and 11 the operator will again press on the projecting handle portion. 16 ot' the plunger 15 again opening the halt bowl 19 permit-ting the removal ot the vezihausted tea leaves or coli'ee, etc. rinsing out the same in the usual manner whereupon the spoon will aga-in be ready for refilling and used as described.

The pivoted half bowl 19 may be detached from the spoon by the operator passing the projecting handle 16 to a position such that the opening 18 is in alignment with the opening 13 but not pushing far enough so as to press against the operator, taking hold .of the halt bow] 19 may slip the downturned pin 2,1 down pin 21 whereupon thek through said. openings 18 and l and the pivot bar 2O out of the slots l2 and the plungerl member l5 may then be Withdrawn entirely from the handle 8 whereby all of the separated parts as described may be readily and thoroughly cleaned before putting the same together again.

Many variations may be made in the structure Without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention.

1. In a tea making spoon the combination of a handle having one half of a 'oraminous bowl and a pair of adjacent slotted shoulders at one end and an enlarged portion at the other end holding a spring, a plunger member mounted in said handle and held in its extended position by said spring7 openings adaptedl to be put in alignment in said handle and plunger at said shoulders and a second half bowl member having a pivot bar pivoting in said shoulder slots and a hook member passing through said openings.

2. In a tea making spoon the combination of a handle terminating in a pair of slotted shoulders and a l'oraminous half bowl, a second foraminous half boivl pivoted on said shoulders contiguous to said first half bowl and completing a bowl and means for operating said pivoted halt bowl at the opposite end of said handle.

3. In a tea making spoon the combination of a handle terminating in a pair of slotted shoulders and a oramnous half bowl, a second loraminous halt' beivl pivoted onsaid shoulders contiguous to said lirst half bowl and completing a bowl and means for operating said pivoted half bowl at the opposite end of said handle comprising an enlarged portion containing a spring, a plunger passing through said Spring and handle, openings in alignment in said plunger and handle at the bowl end and a tilting and retaining arm extending up from the pivot endof said second half bowl through said openings.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

GIUSEPPE LUBRANO.. 

